Department for Transport

Bicycles: Hire Services

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what powers local authorities in England have to regulate bike share schemes within their boundaries.

Jesse Norman: There are no specific powers relating to bike-share schemes, however shared bicycles are subject to the same legal requirements and byelaws as other bicycles, and local authorities have powers to act if they are causing an obstruction or nuisance. The Department is discussing with various stakeholders the possible need for an agreed consistent national standard for bike share schemes to help ensure that they are introduced and managed appropriately.

Transport: Schools

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) financial and (b) other support will be made available to schools to promote (i) walking to school and (ii) other modes of active travel for the purposes of improving concentration and reducing congestion and air pollution around schools.

Jesse Norman: The Government’s Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy, published in April 2017, includes a target to increase the percentage of children aged 5 to 10 that usually walk to school from 49% in 2014 to 55% in 2025. In support of this, the Department for Transport has provided around £1 million for the Walk to School project, a highly successful programme delivered by Living Streets which aims to increase the number of children walking to school. This funding has also supported the development of the Travel Tracker data collection tool which will be used to inform the impact of Walk to School outcomes. The Government has also committed around £7.5 million between 2017-2020 to an Access Fund project which is helping more people to access employment, education and training through walking and cycling in ten local authority areas. The Government has also doubled the PE and Sport Premium from £160 million to £320 million a year from September 2017. This funding is provided to primary schools to improve the quality of their PE and sport provision. Funding can be used to embed physical activity into the school day through active travel to and from school such as cycling and walking. The Government is providing over £12 million per annum to schools via local authorities to provide Bikeability training to schoolchildren. Bikeability is the Department’s national cycle training programme for schoolchildren. It delivers on-road training, providing trainees with the life skills and confidence they need to travel independently by bike. Since 2014, the Department for Transport has also provided around £300,000 of funding for an award scheme to promote and recognise schools that have shown excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel.

European Maritime Safety Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK plans to seek formal co-operation with or third country participatory membership of the European Maritime Safety Agency after the UK has left the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued participation in the European Maritime Safety Agency. The UK’s continued participation with the Agency as well as continued cooperation in the field of maritime safety, will be a matter for negotiations.

European Aviation Safety Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the UK plans to participate in the European Aviation Safety Agency after the UK has left the EU.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for continued or discontinued participation in the European Aviation Safety Agency. The nature of the UK’s future participation with the Agency will be a matter for the negotiations.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the safety of helicopter transport in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Mr John Hayes: The safety of those who travel on offshore helicopter flights is paramount. In 2013 the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) launched a comprehensive review of offshore helicopter flying, resulting in a step change in safety that was welcomed by everyone involved. The review is available at www.caa.co.uk/cap1145.

Offshore Industry: Helicopters

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent information his Department holds on trends in the cost of insuring commercial helicopter flights in the North Sea oil and gas industry since January 2009 to date.

Mr John Hayes: The Civil Aviation Authority monitors the ability of UK operators to obtain such insurance. The ability of UK licence holders to obtain insurance cover is dependent upon the insurer’s assessment of relevant risks in relation to an individual licence holder. The CAA advises that such cover in the market in general has been readily obtainable over the period in question, and the overall market trend of such premiums has been downwards.

European Union Agency for Railways

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Article 75 of EU Regulation 2016/796, whether the UK plans to seek formal third country participation with the European Union Agency for Railways after the UK has left the EU.

Paul Maynard: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, including the implications for the continued participation in the European Union Agency for Railways. The UK’s continued participation with the Agency as a third country, as well as continued cooperation in the field of rail safety and standards, will be a matter for negotiations.

Consett Station

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the feasibility of reinstating the train station in Consett; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Maynard: The department does not have any plans to reinstate the train station in Consett. In line with our devolution policies, it is for the Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) and local transport authorities in this area to decide what are the priority projects to support economic development and to secure appropriate funding - including drawing on that made available by Government for example through the Local Growth Fund - to take them forward. Proposals for new stations need first to secure the support of a local promoter, normally the local transport authority, to undertake studies of the potential additional passenger demand, train service options, economic benefits, capital and any operating subsidy requirements before the addition of such services to a franchise agreement could be considered.

Air Transport Agreements

Sir Vince Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure agreements are in place between each EU member state and the UK to enable the provisions of the European Common Aviation Area to continue to apply after the UK leaves the EU; when he plans to put those agreements in place; and whether his Department plans to take on additional staff or other resources to meet that timetable.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is considering carefully all the potential implications arising from the UK’s exit from the EU. The Government plans to negotiate the best possible relationship between the UK and the EU in the field of aviation, and will have the resources and staff to do so. We are approaching the discussions with ambition, seeking to give citizens and businesses as much certainty as possible, as early as possible. It will be in the interests of all sides in this negotiation to maintain closely integrated aviation markets, as other EU Member States recognise. We will continue to work closely with the international aviation community to ensure that this global industry continues to be a major success story for the UK economy.

Buses: Tyres

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will estimate the cost of including a check on the age of tyres as part of the annual MOT test of public service vehicles.

Jesse Norman: Expert advice suggests that tyre ageing is a complex issue where use and maintenance are significant factors rather than simply chronological age. As tyre condition can be affected by many different factors, the annual roadworthiness test for public service vehicles currently includes up to seventeen individual assessments to determine the appropriate application and state of each tyre fitted on a vehicle. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency estimates the inclusion of this additional item into the annual test for public service vehicles would cost approximately £200,000 on a full cost recovery basis. Departmental guidance on using older tyres has been effective, with high levels of compliance by PSV operators. But the Government is ready to take further steps as and where necessary. Tyre age surveys, conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, have identified that it is not always possible to view the date code on tyres owing to the way in which dual tyres are fitted to the rear axles of many heavy vehicles.

Department for Transport: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many people in his Department with responsibility for social media are employed on a (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Mr John Hayes: There are no people employed in the Department (including the Executive Agencies) on a full or part-time basis that are solely responsible for social media content or management. There are a range of people across the organisation involved with managing social media channels alongside other responsibilities but as such, the proportion of time spent on managing social media differs across these roles and teams so it is not possible to provide exact numbers.

Roads: East Yorkshire

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure rural areas, like East Yorkshire, have adequate road connections to the strategic road network which will encourage and not deter future economic growth in the region.

Jesse Norman: Local authorities are responsible for the local road network which provides connectivity to the strategic road network. The Government supports local authority investment in their network through the annual grants made available for highway improvement. Additional funding is made available on a competitive basis through the National Productivity Investment Fund, the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund and the Large Local Major Schemes Fund. Local Enterprise Partnerships are also able to invest in the local highway network through the Local Growth Fund. The Government is committed to supporting rural connectivity in areas such as the East Riding of Yorkshire, which has received £16.7 million to help maintain it’s ‘A’ roads and £8.0m to improve two roundabouts on the A1079 from the Local Growth Fund. A further £3.0 million from the National Productivity Investment Fund was made available in October 2017 for a junction improvement on the A164. Before the end of 2017 the Department intends to consult on its plan to establish a Major Road Network (MRN) comprising the most strategically important ‘A’ roads, which deliver strategic connectivity between places. The MRN will receive dedicated funding from the National Roads Fund for schemes that relieve congestion, support economic growth and unlock housing.

Transport: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on additional transport infrastructure investment for the North East ahead of Autumn Budget 2017.

Jesse Norman: The Secretary of State has regular discussions on a variety of matters with the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Road Traffic Control: North East

Mr Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much the Government plans to spend out of the Congestion Relief programme on projects in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the North East.

Jesse Norman: The Government is committed to tackling congestion across the country’s road network, and has recently announced its intention to form a Major Road Network (MRN) comprising the most important local authority A roads. The MRN will receive a dedicated portion of the National Roads Fund (NRF), which will be established in 2020/21. The NRF is derived from revenue raised from Vehicle Excise Duty in England. The Department will be consulting on proposals for the creation of a MRN before the end of the year. The results of the consultation will determine the process of how the funding will be allocated across England.

Department for Transport: Procurement

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of contracts awarded by his Department went to British-based companies between May 2010 and November 2017.

Mr John Hayes: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Communities and Local Government

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106036, on the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, for what reasons that Answer did not provide the date of the Government's decision on the learning centre's location in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government took the decision to co-locate the learning centre with the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens, subject to technical, financial, planning or other constraints, in September 2016, prior to announcing the start of the architectural design competition.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of visitors to the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre who will arrive (a) on foot or by public transport and (b) by coach or car.

Mr Marcus Jones: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation envisage that the Memorial and Learning Centre will primarily attract a subset of the millions of people already visiting the area. A significant proportion will therefore arrive on foot. Detailed pedestrian and traffic surveys are currently underway as part of the development of the design.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the total cost to the public purse of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106036, on the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, whether the £50 million allocated from public funds is the full contribution from the public purse towards the capital and running costs of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mr Marcus Jones: With cross-party support, the Government has committed £50 million as its contribution to kick-start a society-wide fundraising effort to deliver the National Memorial and Learning Centre and its wider educational objectives.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Government decided that the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre should not be located at the Imperial War Museum.

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106036, on the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation, how many and which of the organisations consulted in 2015 proposed or supported locating the memorial in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Mr Marcus Jones: During the course of 2015, the organisations referred to in the answer to Question UIN 106180 assisted the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Fund (UKHMF) in identifying possible locations. This helped UKHMF to consider almost 50 sites, including Victoria Tower Gardens and the Imperial War Museum.On the advice of UKHMF the Government decided that Victoria Tower Gardens was the most fitting of all the sites considered. This decision received wide-ranging support, including from The Royal Parks, which, as noted in the answer to Question UIN 106181, was first consulted in December 2015.By placing the story of the Holocaust next to our Parliament, our country will make a powerful statement about our own democracy and its values, reminding us what can happen when hatred is left unchecked.

Sustainable Communities Act 2007

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, which local authorities, parish and town councils have submitted proposals to his Department under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 since its inception.

Mr Marcus Jones: Since the introduction of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007 and its extension to include town and parish councils in October 2014, 33 proposals have been received. A list of these authorities will be placed in the Library of the House.

Immigrants: Stoke On Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what funding has been provided to Stoke-on-Trent constituency through the Migration Fund; and how much of that provision has been spent in the last 12 months.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Controlling Migration Fund was launched in November 2016 to support English local authorities and their communities tackle issues linked to high and unexpected volumes of recent immigration. Funding is available until 2020 to ease pressures on local services and direct enforcement action against people in the UK illegally.So far 94 applications have been considered by ministers, of which 88, worth £34.1 million, have been approved with the main pressures focused on rogue landlords, cohesion/integration, the use of the English language and data collection.Stoke-on-Trent City Council has submitted an application which will be considered at the next Controlling Migration Programme board in January 2018.

Social Rented Housing: Fire Prevention

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what financial assistance he plans to provide to local authorities to support their investigations into the safety of cladding on all properties.

Alok Sharma: My Department has made clear that building owners are responsible for funding fire safety measures. Government will consider financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe. Housing associations that are concerned about their ability to meet these costs should contact the social housing regulator.We are also providing financial support to local authorities for collecting and reporting data on cladding on high rise private residential buildings, which we recognise as a New Burden.

Building Regulations: Fires

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the publication of Dame Judith Hackitt's interim report is planned to take place on or before 21 December 2017.

Alok Sharma: It is expected that Dame Judith Hackitt will present an interim report of her Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety before the end of the year.

Green Belt

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to protect green belt land.

Alok Sharma: The National Planning Policy Framework sets out strong protections for the Green Belt and states that inappropriate development there should be refused planning permission unless in very special circumstances. The Framework also makes clear that a local authority may alter the shape of its Green Belt only in exceptional circumstances, using the Local Plan process. The Framework does not define these ‘exceptional circumstances’. However, in the Housing White Paper, Fixing our broken housing market, we proposed that a local authority should be able to alter a Green Belt boundary only when it demonstrates that it has examined all other reasonable options for meeting its identified development needs, including:effective use of suitable brownfield and estate regeneration;the potential offered by under-used land (including surplus public sector land);optimising the density of development; andexploring whether other authorities can help to meet some of the identified development requirement.We have been analysing the consultation responses on this proposed clarification, and will announce our conclusions as soon as possible in 2018.

Opportunity and Integration Review

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Answer of 16 October 2017 to Question 106973 ,what plans his Department has to include the recommendations of the Casey Review, in particular the promotion of English language skills for those from isolated communities, into the new integration strategy.

Mr Marcus Jones: As stated in my answer to Question UIN 106973 on 16 October 2017, my Department has been reviewing the available evidence on the main causes of poor integration, including Dame Louise's Review. In the coming months we will bring forward plans for tackling these issues through a new integration strategy, including teaching more people to speak English.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Space Technology

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department supports the development of a domestic UK satellite launch capability.

Joseph Johnson: This Government wants the UK to be the go-to place for researchers, innovators and investors across the world. We have made a landmark commitment to work with industry to boost spending on Research and Development (R&D) to 2.4% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2027. The work could increase public and private R&D investment by as much as £80 billion over the next 10 years. This will start with government making an extra investment of £2.3 billion in 2021/22, raising total public investment in R&D to £12.5 billion that year alone. As part of our ambition for a new deep and special partnership with the EU, recognising our shared interest in maintaining and strengthening research collaboration, the UK will seek an agreement that promotes science and innovation across Europe now and in the future. This includes continued collaboration in vital sectors such as life sciences that, through programmes such as the Innovative Medicines Initiative, help deliver better care for patients in the UK, member states and around the world. While we remain a member of the EU, UK businesses and universities should continue to bid for competitive EU funds, and we will work with the Commission to ensure payment when funds are awarded. The Government will underwrite the payment of such awards, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU. This includes awards that are bid for before exit that are successful after exit.

Fusion for Energy

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to seek formal participation with Fusion for Energy after the UK leaves the EU.

Richard Harrington: As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out in her Florence speech, we want to continue working together with the EU to promote the long-term economic development of our continent. This includes continuing to take part in those specific policies and programmes which are greatly to the UK and the EU’s joint advantage, such as those that promote science, education and culture – and those that promote our mutual security. In our Future Partnership Paper, “Collaboration on Science and Innovation”, we have made clear that the UK will seek an ambitious science and innovation agreement with the EU. The UK would like to work with the EU on designing this agreement, and would welcome a full and open discussion about all of the options for continued collaboration, including options for UK participation in EU and Euratom programmes, agencies and other bodies. The Government is committed to ensuring that the UK continues to lead the world in fusion research. We have taken action to secure the future of the Joint European Torus (JET) facility by guaranteeing the UK’s share of JET costs until the end of 2020. The relevant Written Ministerial Statement can be found here: http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-06-27/HCWS13/.

Renewable Energy: Construction

Sir Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what his policy is on minimum levels of domestic content in renewable energy construction projects after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: Through our Industrial Strategy, we will strengthen the growth of markets for clean technologies in the UK, to support the development of the UK supply chains that will create jobs and drive future exports. We will focus on building long-term competitive advantage, to maximise the UK’s share of global markets as they are transformed by the shift to clean growth.We introduced Supply Chain Plans as part of the Contract For Difference allocation round requirements for low carbon electricity projects of 300MW generating capacity or more. The introduction of Supply Chain Plans has helped drive behavioural change with developers, increasing competition, identifying barriers to entry and enabling more companies to compete, including UK companies. For example, UK content has increased to 48% since the first CFD allocation round.

Nuclear Power

Trudy Harrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans his Department has to provide incentives to suppliers to use small and medium-sized enterprises directly involved in the supply chain for the nuclear industry.

Richard Harrington: For future New Nuclear projects, developers will be required to produce Supply Chain Plans. This means developers will need to show evidence that their projects will support growth in the UK supply chain, support the development of competition, and boost innovation and skills. This will provide greater opportunity for SME’s to access contracts for new build projects. In regards to Nuclear Decommissioning, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority already uses a range of initiatives to improve the transparency of contract opportunities including: • simplifying and standardising procurement requirements;• holding regional and national supplier events to help providers link up; and• running an SME mentoring scheme.

Science

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish the sector deal for the life sciences sector.

Joseph Johnson: We welcome progress on a number of early sector deals, including the life sciences sector, which published their industry-led Life Sciences Industrial Strategy on 30 August. We are in advanced discussions with the sector about an ambitious Sector Deal.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Press Freedom

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the World Press Freedom Index 2017, which noted a decline in press freedom in 62.2 per cent of the 180 countries in the Index.

Mark Field: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is deeply concerned about the decline in media freedom across the world, which is well illustrated in the 2017 World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders. That is why the FCO has committed to spending £1 million over the next financial year on projects aimed at supporting media freedom and the protection of journalists.

Oman: Politics and Government

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on protecting Oman's security, sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Alistair Burt: The UK has a broad and long-standing relationship with Oman, including a strong historic and current security and defence relationship. We are deeply committed to helping Oman protect its security, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and this is reflected through our significant defence cooperation. We have a well-established and significant loan service working within all three Omani services; we are in the process of establishing a permanent British Army presence in the region; and we are heavily investing in the port of Duqm for use as a Joint Logistics Hub and by the Royal Navy. Next year, Exercise Saif Sareea 3 will take place in Oman – the largest UK-Omani exercise for 15 years.

China: Freedom of Expression

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Chinese Government on ensuring protection for bloggers and writers exercising freedom of expression.

Mark Field: We remain concerned by the increasing restrictions to media freedoms in China and continue to urge the Chinese authorities to respect and protect freedom of expression and association.We raised this issue with the Chinese authorities at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, which was held in Beijing on 27 June, where we expressed concerns about the treatment of journalists and censorship. Ahead of this meeting we raised the cases of the bloggers Druklo (also known as Shokjang) and Wu Gan (also known as "Super Vulgar Butcher") and the writers Hu Shigen, Lu Gengsong and Yang Maodong in writing with the Chinese authorities​.

Turkey: Politics and Government

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to help secure the release of writers, academics, teachers and lawyers arrested following the coup attempt in Turkey.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Turkish government has a right and responsibility to act against the perpetrators of the coup attempt and also against those who have committed or are planning terrorist acts. However, it is important that legal measures under the State of Emergency following the coup attempt are proportionate, justified and in line with Turkey's democratic principles and its international human rights obligations. I have made this point consistently with Turkish Ministers.

North Korea: Foreign Relations

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on international efforts to pursue dialogue with North Korea; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: ​I have discussed the DPRK with US Secretary of State Tillerson, and regularly do so with other Foreign Minister colleagues.

Nuclear Weapons

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made any representations to the recent International Symposium on Nuclear Weapons at the Vatican.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK was represented by our Embassy to the Holy See at the recent International Symposium on “Prospects for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons and for Integral Disarmament” at the Vatican. As a responsible nuclear weapons state, we are committed to the long-term goal of a world without nuclear weapons, and will continue to work with our international partners to tackle proliferation and to make progress on nuclear disarmament.

Nuclear Disarmament

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he plans to make to the UN High-Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament in May 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Government firmly believes that the best way to achieve a world without nuclear weapons is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach and within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. We do not believe the UN High Level Conference in May 2018 will lead to effective progress on nuclear disarmament. It will not address the serious threats to international peace and security posed by nuclear proliferation nor will it take account of the international security environment. We will consider our approach to the Conference closer to the time.

Armed Conflict: Minerals

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations were made by the Government to the EU during the drafting of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation (EU) 2017/821; and if he will make it his policy to incorporate that regulation into UK law after the UK leaves the EU.

Rory Stewart: The Government welcomed the original Commission proposal for a voluntary due diligence certification scheme. When it became clear that this was unacceptable to the European Parliament, the UK and most other Member States accepted the shift to a scheme which is mandatory, but only for importers of the largest quantities when annual imports exceed the relevant thresholds. Mandatory due diligence obligations will therefore cover the majority of imported minerals but only a small minority of importing companies. We view this as a good compromise, which will both have a positive effect on the ground in conflict-affected and high-risk areas and preserve the competitiveness of UK business.It is our intention that this Regulation will be incorporated into UK law once we have left the EU via the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill.

Nigeria: British Nationals Abroad

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what advice and support his Department is providing to people from the UK, including missionaries and humanitarian workers, who plan to travel to provide support to communities in Nigeria's Delta region.

Rory Stewart: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth strongly recommends that all UK citizens planning to travel overseas, familiarise themselves with our travel advice. The travel advice pages are regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changing circumstances. We currently advise against all but essential travel to Rivers, Bayelsa and Delta States and against all travel to the riverine areas of those states. We are supporting the families of the four British people who were abducted on 13 October in Nigeria. I would like to offer my condolences to the friends and family of Ian Squire who was tragically killed whilst being held captive. This has clearly been a traumatic time for all concerned, and our staff will continue to do all we can to support the families.

Northern Ireland Office

Northern Ireland Government

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what estimate he has made of the (a) cost and (b) number of staff involved in the independent review on the salaries of members of the Northern Ireland Assembly; and if he will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: I have asked Mr Trevor Reaney to provide me with advice on pay and allowances for Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly by 15 December 2017. Our estimate of the direct cost of this exercise will not exceed £5,000 plus expenses. No members of Northern Ireland Office staff are dedicated to work on the advice, though I have offered Mr Reaney access to administrative and media enquiry support for his work.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Natural Disasters

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to fund disaster risk reduction measures; and to which countries funding on such measures is allocated.

Alistair Burt: In response to the 2011 Humanitarian Emergency Response Review, DFID committed to embed disaster resilience within all country programmes, influencing DFID’s overall bilateral spend, rather than having a separate funding line for disaster risk reduction.More recently, the UK’s new Humanitarian Reform Policy continues our commitment to build resilience. It has identified managing risk better as a critical pillar of an improved global response to humanitarian crises, this includes a commitment to:“Anticipate and track the risk of crises, including conflicts, natural disasters and epidemics, and ensure UK funding is allocated according to risk and need.”

Department for International Development: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many people in her Department with responsibility for social media are employed on an (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Rory Stewart: This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Education

Social Workers: Labour Turnover

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the employee turnover rate for social workers in (a) Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Information on the turnover of children’s social workers in local authorities in England has been collected on a comparable basis as of 30 September each year since 2013. The most recent data was published by the department on 16 February 2017 and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childrens-social-care-workforce.The requested data is shown below:As at 30 SeptemberRedcar and ClevelandNorth EastEngland201319%14%15%20149%12%17%201518%13%16%201616%16%15%Note: turnover rates have been calculated using the number of leavers during the year ending 30 September as a percentage of the number of children’s social workers at 30 September.

Children in Care

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of looked-after children being placed 20 miles or more outside the boundary of their local authority.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government is clear that the needs of the child are paramount when making decisions about the right care placement. Local councils have a statutory duty to consider the right placement for each child and take into account a number of factors, one of which is placement area. Sometimes circumstances make it the right decision for a local council to identify a placement outside of the child’s local area, for example when a child is at risk from child sexual exploitation, trafficking or gang violence or when they need very specialist care. Out of area placements require approval from the Director of Children’s Services, and Ofsted will challenge local councils where they believe poor out of area placement are being made. The government is funding Innovation Programme pilots for residential care in areas where demand for residential places outstrips supply. We are also setting up a Residential Care Leadership Board, which will bring together representatives from local councils and providers to explore how to improve commissioning of children’s residential placements. As part of this work we expect the Board to assess data on the use of out of area placements.

Social Workers

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that local authorities provide adequate pastoral support for social workers; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Local councils as employers are responsible for the provision of appropriate pastoral support. The Standards for Employers of Social Workers, published by the Local Government Association, provide an important means of ensuring that employers are providing the right support to social workers in the difficult work they do.

Politics: Education

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she plans to add political education to the national curriculum.

Nick Gibb: Knowledge about politics is an important part of a broad and balanced education that prepares young people for adult life. Citizenship education is in the statutory national curriculum at key stages 3 and 4. The programmes of study are designed to prepare pupils to play a full and active part in society, and are organised around core knowledge about democracy, government, and how laws are made and upheld. Citizenship education also equips pupils with the knowledge to explore political and social issues, to weigh evidence, debate and make reasoned arguments. Schools can also teach politics as part of their school curriculum if they choose to do so.

Children: Poverty

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of children who are at risk of experiencing hunger during the school Christmas holidays in 2017.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department has made no assessment of the number of children who are at risk of experiencing hunger during school Christmas holidays in 2017. We are currently giving full consideration to the School Holidays (Meals and Activities) Bill, which considers this issue, and will be responding in due course.

Teachers: Training

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will continue to fund the Autism Education Trust to help ensure that teachers in England can access training in autism as part of their continuous professional development.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department recognises the importance of ensuring that teachers are well equipped to support children and young people with special educational needs or a disability, including those with autism. We are unable to comment on continuing funding for the Autism Education Trust, as decisions about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities contracts for next financial year are still under consideration.

Children: Social Services

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she plans to respond to Greater Manchester Combined Authority's bid for funding from the Children's Social Care Innovation Programme.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has submitted a request to the department for innovation funding, separate to the Innovation Programme bidding process. Their proposals are part of discussions linked to their Devolution Deal and the commitment they made to a full review of their children’s services across the ten local authorities. Minsters will make a decision based on the potential for improved outcomes for children, value for money, and genuine innovation. GMCA will be informed of the minister’s decision in due course.

Schools: Transport

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will promote active travel schemes as part of the PE and Sport Premium available to schools in England.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The PE and Sport Premium is available to primary schools to improve the quality of PE and sport. Department for Education guidance to schools, available athttps://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools, sets out that funding can be used to embed physical activity into the school day through active travel to and from school, active playgrounds and active teaching. We promoted this guidance on 24 October as part of our announcement of doubling the PE and Sport Premium to £320 million.

Children in Care

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children were placed 20 miles or more outside the boundary of their local authority in (a) Redcar and Cleveland, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: At 31 March in each of the last five years for which figures are available, the number of looked-after children placed outside their local council boundary and more than 20 miles from their home is given in the table below:Children looked after who were placed outside the boundary of their responsible local council and over 20 miles from home at 31 March1,2,3Years ending 31 March 2012 to 2016  20122013201420152016  Redcar and Cleveland2525302525North East350360380390410England8,1608,4309,5009,89010,000  Source: SSDA9031. England and regional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local council figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.2. Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements.3. Figures exclude children whose local council of placement is not known.

Foster Care

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities in England of using independent fostering agencies in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Local council expenditure on independent (including private and voluntary) fostering service providers has been between 45 and 47 per cent of the total expenditure on fostering services between 2011 and 2016. This information can be found in the attached table. The 2016-17 data will be published in December.



Total expenditure on fostering 2011 - 2016
(Word Document, 23.26 KB)

Social Workers: Sick Leave

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of hours taken as long-term sickness leave by social workers in (a) Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, (b) the North East and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The department has not made an estimate for the number of hours of long-term sickness absence taken by social workers. Information on the sickness absence rate for children’s social workers in local councils in England has been collected on a comparable basis as of 30 September each year since 2013. The most recent data for 30 September 2016 was published by the department on 16 February 2017 and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-childrens-social-care-workforce.The available data is shown below:As at 30 SeptemberRedcar and ClevelandNorth EastEngland2013--4%20143%5%4%20153%4%4%20164%5%4% Note: Absence rates at 30 September 2013 have not been disseminated below national level due to concerns with data quality.

Schools: Sexual Harassment

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the levels of sexual harassment in schools in North West Durham.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Schools and colleges should be safe places for all children to learn and we are clear that sexual harassment should never be tolerated in a school. Schools are under a statutory duty, set out in the department’s guidance, Keeping children safe in education (KCSIE), to safeguard and promote the welfare of their pupils. KCSIE sets out what staff should know and do to protect children. It also sets out that schools should have an effective child protection policy. The policy should include procedures to minimise the risk of peer on peer abuse and how allegations will be investigated and dealt with. Our recent Pupil, Parent and Carers omnibus survey (July 2017) shows that 8% of the 857 female respondents said that a boy had touched them inappropriately and without permission at least once or twice in the last year. 28% of female respondents to the same survey said that they had experienced someone saying something sexual or sexist to them at least once or twice in the last year. We do not hold data on incidents of sexual harassment in schools in specific parliamentary constituencies. Ofsted inspectors will always consider whether safeguarding arrangements are effective and, if safeguarding is inadequate, this will be reflected in the overall rating of the school. The hon. member for North West Durham will be aware, as discussed in the debate on sexual harassment and sexual violence in schools on 2 November 2017, of the steps the department will be taking to address the issues. We will be publishing interim advice for schools this term. The advice will cover child in child sexual violence and sexual harassment. We will also launch a public consultation, this term, on proposed updates to KCSIE. We intend to publish revised guidance, for information, early in the summer term 2018. This will then be commenced and come into force at the start of the September 2018 school year.

Children: Mental Health Services

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of teacher and other school professionals' experience of referring children and young people to the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services; and what analysis has been conducted by her Department of the time taken from referral to treatment for such services.

Nick Gibb: Questions about access to mental health services were included as a part of the Teacher Voice Omnibus Survey (2017) and the Supporting Mental Health in Schools and Colleges Survey (2017).Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission are conducting joint inspections of each local area’s approach to identifying and meeting special educational needs and disabilities, including for mental health. The area inspection reports are published on the Ofsted website.The evaluation of phase one of the joint Department for Education and NHS England Mental Health Services and schools link pilot considered how joint working can improve referrals across 255 schools in 27 areas. Phase two of the pilot will include up to 1200 more schools in 20 areas and will also be evaluated.The Children and Young People’s Mental Health Green Paper, which will be published before the end of the year, will consider how we can further improve access to treatment.

European Training Foundation

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the UK plans to seek formal participation in or membership of the European Training Foundation after the UK has left the EU.

Anne Milton: No decisions have yet been made on our future relationship with the EU's agencies and bodies after exit.We are seeking a constructive partnership with the EU. Our relationship with the EU’s agencies and bodies, including the European Training Foundation, upon exit will be evaluated on this basis.

Wakefield City Academies Trust: Outwood Grange Academies Trust

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the feedback on the transfer of Wakefield City Academy Trust schools to Outwood Grange Academy Trust collected during the listening period will be published.

Mr Robert Goodwill: We are carefully considering all feedback shared by parents, teachers and other stakeholders. We will respond to feedback once final decisions have been taken.

Ministry of Justice

Witnesses: Video Recordings

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2017 to Question 106318 on witnesses: video recordings, what the timetable is for the roll-out of section 28 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 to the remaining 68 Crown Courts.

Dr Phillip Lee: It is anticipated wider roll out of section 28 for vulnerable witnesses will take place from the Spring of next year, alongside a partial commencement for intimidated witnesses who are complainants in sexual offences and modern slavery offences. It is essential that we get roll out right for vulnerable witnesses and that we have the confidence we can deliver effective pre recordings to ensure we can provide reassurance that they will not have to face the accused in court. That is why we have delayed roll out from Autumn 2017 to make sure all issues raised in testing the technology have been completely resolved.

Prime Minister

Hormones: Pregnancy Tests

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Prime Minister, what meetings she has had with (a) hon. Members and (b) external experts on (i) hormone pregnancy tests and (ii) the Expert Working Group on hormone pregnancy tests.

Mrs Theresa May: The Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines on hormone pregnancy tests is independent of Government. It published its report on Wednesday 15 November. The Department of Health is now focused on implementing the review’s recommendations to safeguard future generations by further strengthening the systems in place for detecting, evaluating and communicating safety concerns with use of medicines in pregnancy.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Weapons: Scotland

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will list the costs of the Government's planned nuclear infrastructure projects at Faslane and Coulport.

Harriett Baldwin: The costs of the nuclear infrastructure projects are:Faslane Nuclear Infrastructure Continuous Availability Project - £507 millionCoulport Infrastructure Continuous Availability Project - £289 millionFaslane Nuclear Support Hub Project - £76 million

European Fighter Aircraft: Exports

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 111545, on European fighter aircraft: exports, what representations he has received from (a) business organisations and (b) trade unions on support for the sale of Typhoon aircraft.

Harriett Baldwin: I meet regularly with representatives of UK defence industry to discuss the Government's continued support for securing future exports of the Eurofighter Typhoon, I have also met recently with the Unite union to discuss the importance of future exports of Eurofighter Typhoon to the sustainment of the UK defence aerospace industry.

Military Aircraft: Procurement

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2017 to Question 111413, on military aircraft: procurement, what representations he has received from business organisations on the content of Defence Industrial policy.

Harriett Baldwin: We have consulted industry closely in our work to refresh defence industrial policy. This included a workshop with representatives from a cross-section of industrial and academic organisations, an online consultation through Gov.UK, and discussions hosted by defence trade associations, the Defence Growth Partnership and at meetings of the Defence Suppliers Forum. We have also received individual representations from companies and business organisations. We attach great importance to this consultation in developing effective and relevant policy, and will seek similarly close and constructive dialogue with business organisations in its implementation.

Syria: Military Intervention

Anna McMorrin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the extent and nature of British military presence in Syria is; and for how long he plans to continue military operations in that region.

Mark Lancaster: Coalition officers, including some from the UK, carry out short term visits to Coalition locations in Syria as part of their duties, to co-ordinate Coalition support and to engage partner forces. They are not engaging directly in ground combat operations. The Coalition's military campaign against Daesh - including the RAF's contribution to airstrikes against Daesh targets - will continue for as long as is necessary to liberate the civilian population from the terrorists' evil rule. That campaign is making excellent progress; local forces have now recaptured more than 90% of the territory that Daesh once controlled across Iraq and Syria.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobcentre Plus: Training

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will develop scientific training in autism for work coaches in Jobcentre Plus.

Damian Hinds: The Department for Work and Pensions supports work coaches to build a strong relationship with all claimants through a comprehensive training and accreditation programme. This includes training to understand specific claimant needs. DWP has undertaken an extensive autism and neurodiversity training programme to upskill staff across the Jobcentre Plus network, reaching 1200 staff members. This was delivered by Autism Alliance UK and was facilitated by disabled people with autistic spectrum conditions.

Social Security Benefits: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 13 November 2017 to Question 111677, on social security benefits: North West Durham, what the (a) sample size and (b) margin of error in the data provided was.

Sarah Newton: (a) In the answer to Question 111677, what proportion of assessments for (b) Personal Independence Payments went to appeal in North West Durham constituency in each year since 2010, the total number of initial PIP decisions in the constituency each year was used. These numbers are provided in the Table below.Financial yearInitial PIP decisions2013/142402014/1512802015/1614102016/172040Apr2017 to Jul2017610 Latest available data to July 2017 (b) The figures presented in answer to Question 111677 are not a sample but are the total population of initial PIP decisions in each year. As such there are no “margins of error” in the proportions provided in answer to Question 111677.

Food Banks

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received from (a) the Trussell Trust and (b) other UK food bank providers over the last 12 months.

Damian Hinds: DWP has had regular contact with Trussell Trust over the last 12 months, at Ministerial and official level, on welfare reforms and how local Jobcentre Plus offices work with food banks. There has been no central contact with other UK food bank providers.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people were charged with benefit fraud in each year from 2010 to date; and how many of those people served a custodial sentence as a result of that benefit fraud.

Caroline Dinenage: The Counter Fraud and Compliance Directorate (CFCD), part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the prevention, detection and where appropriate, investigation of Fraud and Error against all benefits administered by and on behalf of DWP.DWP does not hold these data requested. However, Ministry of Justice has said The number of defendants proceeded against for benefit fraud offences and offenders sentenced to immediate custody for these offences in England and Wales 2010 – 2016 can be found by going to the ‘outcomes by offence’ tool at –https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/614418/cjs-outcomes-by-offence-tool-2016.xlsxand selecting the following offences from the Offence filter:53.3 Benefit fraud offences - triable either way, and151 Benefit fraud offences – summary.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims of the assessment rate of employment and support allowance have been processed (a) successfully and (b) unsuccessfully in each month since January 2015.

Sarah Newton: The number of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) new claims which have been processed and awarded, or refused the assessment rate of benefit, can be found in the tables in attached Annexe A.



Annex A
(Word Document, 19.74 KB)

Personal Independence Payment: Mental Illness

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what changes have been made in the criteria for assessment of the mobility component of personal independence payment for those with mental health benefits.

Sarah Newton: DWP has made no changes to its policy for assessment of the mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for those experiencing mental health issues. In 2016, a legal judgment altered the way PIP Mobility Activity 1 was interpreted. As a result, the 2017 amending regulations were introduced in order to clarify the criteria and restore the original aim of the policy. In November 2017 the PIP Assessment Guide (the guide used by the Assessment Provider’s Health Professionals), was also updated to clarify this policy following a recommendation by the Social Security Advisory Committee.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, at what proportion of personal independence payment appeals his Department is represented by barristers.

Sarah Newton: It is not common practice for the Department to be represented by barristers at the First-tier Tribunal. The Secretary of State’s representative would normally be a Presenting Officer. A number of the current Presenting Officer team may hold qualifications or work experience in the legal profession; however, this is not a requirement for the job role.

Employment and Support Allowance

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been waiting over (a) 3 months, (b) 6 months, (c) 9 months and (d) 12 months from the date of submission for an employment support allowance claim for a decision on whether they will receive a Work Capability Assessment or are placed in the Support Group in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how his Department monitors waiting times for employment and support allowance claimants from their initial submission to the decision on whether they require a work capability assessment or will be placed in the support group.

Sarah Newton: From a client statistics point of view, DWP does not produce regular official statistics to monitor the time taken to decide whether an individual will have a face-to-face Work Capability Assessment (WCA), or a paper-based WCA that may lead to them being assigned to the Support Group without a face-to-face WCA. However, information on the volume of paper-based versus face-to-face WCAs between October 2008 and May 2015 was previously published and can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esa-wca-by-decision-outcome-and-paper-based-assessment-oct-2008-to-mar-2015 DWP monitors performance and times in the HCP supplier place by measuring the time it takes from submission to the supplier, to recommendation. This is published data, and was 16 weeks in March 2017. DWP works closely with the supplier to improve the time taken. We follow each element of the journey our customers experience, to inform the setting of appropriate and robust measures to monitor performance and waiting times. We continually review our processes in order to make them as efficient as possible, while maintaining a high quality service. Latest published statistics show that the median end to end clearance time has reduced by nearly half and now stands at 21 weeks, since reaching a peak of 38 weeks in August 2014.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Giant Hogweed

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce to prevalence of giant hogweed in the UK.

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what advice he has given to local authorities about the control or removal of giant hogweed on land near to public rights of ways or where its presence is likely to have a detrimental effect on the public's health.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is an invasive non-native species with established populations in the UK. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to plant or otherwise cause giant hogweed to grow in the wild. Giant hogweed was added as a species of Union concern under the EU Invasive Alien Species Regulation in August 2017. Species of Union concern cannot be imported, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. Under the Regulation, Member States are required to set out measures to manage species of Union concern that are widespread in their territory within 18 months of listing. The government will be consulting on management plans for giant hogweed and other species of Union concern that are widespread in the UK. Community protection notices made under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 are also being used by local authorities and the Police to tackle the impact to their communities of invasive non-native species including giant hogweed. The Home Office guidance on using community protection notices to tackle invasive non-native plants can be found at:www.nonnativespecies.org//downloadDocument.cfm?id=1176. Local Action Groups, with support from Government, are actively involved in reducing and eradicating giant hogweed. A new EU co-funded project, totalling €1.1 million, will develop a regional approach to tackling invasive non-native species, supporting Local Action Groups in a co-ordinated approach.

Ragwort Control Act 2003

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Ragwort Control  Act 2003 in limiting the spread of ragwort; how many successful prosecutions have been brought under that act; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The effectiveness of the Act is assessed annually by recording details of complaints and enforcement cases. Research undertaken for Defra in 2014 concluded that ragwort is not becoming more widespread. The Weeds Act 1959 gives us the power to arrange for the clearance of the plant and to recover the cost from the land occupier. Natural England (the delegated authority for investigating complaints about injurious weeds) engages with inspectors from the Rural Payments Agency to investigate formal complaints raised to them, and enforce weed clearance where the landowner has not taken adequate action to control ragwort. Enforcement is a last resort and where possible we encourage communications between landowners and complainants to try and resolve the issue. In the vast majority of cases, this approach is successful. All complaints so far have been resolved without requiring prosecution, either voluntarily by the landowner or after an enforcement order has been made.

Japanese Knotweed

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made in eliminating Japanese knotweed in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Japanese knotweed was first introduced into the UK in the early 19th century and is now widespread here and throughout most of Europe. It is not considered feasible to eradicate Japanese knotweed entirely from the UK but, with persistence, isolated populations can be eradicated. It is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to plant or otherwise cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild. Defra continues to fund a biocontrol programme through the release of a psyllid insect to tackle Japanese knotweed. If successful, the psyllid will not eradicate Japanese knotweed but should in time reduce its invasive capacity as well as the effort and cost of managing it. This year, around 120,000 psyllids will be released at 16 sites in England and Wales using new methods designed to improve the likelihood that the psyllid will establish in the wild. Local Action Groups, with support from government, are actively involved in reducing and eradicating Japanese knotweed. For example, the New Forest Non-Native Plants Project and the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership have controlled Japanese knotweed on 49 separate sites this year. A new EU co-funded project, totalling €1.1 million, will develop a regional approach to tackling invasive non-native species, supporting Local Action Groups in a co-ordinated approach. Natural England and the Environment Agency also undertake action nationally to remove Japanese knotweed where it is affecting protected sites, water quality or adds to the risk of flooding. Community protection notices made under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 are also being used by local authorities and the Police to tackle the impact to their communities of invasive non-native species including Japanese knotweed. The Home Office guidance on using community protection notices to tackle invasive non-native plants can be found at:www.nonnativespecies.org//downloadDocument.cfm?id=1176

Poultry

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote in-ovo gender identification techniques in the poultry industry in the UK.

George Eustice: Alternatives to culling chicks at one-day old are currently being explored. The University of Leipzig in Germany is developing a new method for in-ovo gender identification, so that eggs identified as male can be sorted and used for purposes other than hatching. This issue was the subject of discussion at a G7 meeting of Farming Ministers in Japan in 2016, where I supported the work and offered UK assistance to build on any results. We will look carefully at the results of this work and how it can be applied to the UK’s poultry industry.

Animal Welfare: Sentencing

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include specific consideration of the need for further protection of service dogs in his Department's consultation on increasing sentences for animal cruelty offences.

George Eustice: An attack on any dog including a police dog or an assistance dog can be treated as causing unnecessary suffering to an animal under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and will therefore be subject to the proposed increase in maximum penalty for this offence to five years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. As announced on 30 September, a bill to effect this increase in the maximum penalty for animal cruelty will be published for consultation around the turn of the year. The offence of allowing a dog to attack an assistance dog carries the maximum penalty of 3 years’ imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both.

Home Office

World War II: Genocide

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with FIFA and UEFA on Holocaust education in football clubs.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with FIFA and UEFA on programmes to tackle racism and discrimination in football.

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with her European counterparts on racism and discrimination in the Champions League or the Europa League.

Mr Nick Hurd: We have had no such discussions. We abhor racism and discrimination, which has no place in football and will not be tolerated. The Home Office works closely with partners at Council of Europe and European Union fora to support a safe environment for spectators and players at matches in Europe.

Police: Ethnic Groups

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of the Police Now cohort came from BAME backgrounds before it became an independent organisation.

Mr Nick Hurd: The first cohort of Police Now was the only cohort to start the programme before Police Now became an independent organisation. Police Now has provided information on the proportion of that cohort who came from BAME backgrounds, which is 9%.

Home Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in her Department with responsibility for social media are employed on a (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

Victoria Atkins: Five members of full time Home Office staff have responsibility for social media. Three staff (information officer grade) are responsible for digital content creation: social media posts, graphics, photography, animations and external filming and film editing. They are also responsible for channel management and monitoring. A senior information officer grade is responsible for overseeing, developing and monitoring our social media channels, overseeing creative content creation and running the social media team. A Grade 7 has overall responsibility for external digital content (including GOV.UK and social media) in the Home Office. This includes responsibility for developing the social media strategy and overseeing its implementation.

Slavery

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of businesses that are compliant with the provisions of the Modern Day Slavery Act 2015.

Victoria Atkins: As a result of the world-leading provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015, more companies than ever before are lifting the stone to identify exploitation in their supply chains and taking action to address it. The Government does not maintain a central register of ‘slavery and human trafficking statements’ published in accordance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015. Two independent repository websites have been set up to collate these statements. The Government is not involved in running or funding either website. Both websites make different estimates of the total number of statements published so far. The latest estimates can be accessed online at http://www.modernslaveryregistry.org/ and https://tiscreport.org/

Alcoholic Drinks: Minimum Prices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will assess the potential merits of introducing minimum unit pricing on alcoholic drinks sold in England.

Victoria Atkins: Public Health England's evidence review of the public health burden of alcohol and the cost-effectiveness of alcohol control policies presents strong international evidence to show that price-based interventions can be effective in reducing levels of consumption and the harms associated with alcohol.We have noted the ruling of the UK Supreme Court in favour of the Scottish Government. Minimum unit pricing will continue to remain under review pending the impact of its implementation in Scotland.

Cannabis: Licensing

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what her Department's criteria are for the granting of a greater than 0.2 per cent THC cannabis growing licence; and what her Department's criteria are in determining the notice period provided to a licence holder on removal of a greater than 0.2 per cent THC cannabis growing licence.

Mr Nick Hurd: High THC (containing more than 0.2% THC) cannabis is licensed for the purpose of research. All drug licence applications are considered individually on their merits and are issued with time-limited validity, usually one year. Typically, applicants would need to show they are fit and proper persons to hold a licence, cognisant of their responsibilities in respect of security and record keeping, that to issue a licence falls within any applicable policies and those of any related regulatory regimes. This may include an assessment of whether any product produced by a prospective licensee could lawfully be sold to the public. In the event a licence is formally revoked the timescale given will be specific to, and proportionate for that case.

Sexual Offences

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were barred from working with (a) children and (b) vulnerable adults in each year since 2010 to the last full year for which data is available; and how many of those decisions on barring were (i) automatic on account of a criminal conviction which did not allow for representations, (ii) automatic on account of a criminal conviction which did allow for representations and (iii) discretionary.

Victoria Atkins: Tables 1 and 2 show the number of people who were added to the Children’s and Adults’ Barred Lists in each of the last five calendar years It is not possible to separate Autobar with or without representations before 2012. Some individuals are included in both the Children’s and Adults’ Barred list In 2012, a ‘Test for Regulated Activity’ was introduced meaning that barring now applies only to those who are, have been, or will be working closely with vulnerable groups.  Table 1: Children’s Barred List Year1. Autobar without representations2. Autobar with representations3. Discretionary201012,521152201112,36916320121,1714,49315720131,3131,11416520141,06797010620151,3341,4218420161,3021,391107 Table 2: Adults’ Barred List Year1. Autobar without representations2. Autobar with representations3. Discretionary201012,2881,022201112,3925032012315,2463912013468064412014407423692015521,036283201638953258

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Social Media

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many people in his Department with responsibility for social media are employed on an (a) full and (b) part-time basis.

David Mundell: There are no full-time roles responsible for social media. Responsibility is held collectively as part of the wider roles of members of both the media and campaigns teams. There are 8 people employed full-time across these two teams.

HM Treasury

Public Expenditure

Mr Bob Seely: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the per head spending from the public purse was in 2016-17 on islands around (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK.

Elizabeth Truss: The UK government does not have a breakdown of spending per head for islands around Scotland and the rest of the UK. However, the latest figures for 2016-17 public expenditure per capita in Scotland and the rest of the UK were published in the government’s Country and Regional Analysis in November 2017, and can be found at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630570/60243_PESA_Accessible.pdf

Health Services: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will award increased funding to the NHS in Shropshire in the forthcoming Budget and in particular to the Shropshire and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust.

Elizabeth Truss: The Autumn Budget 2017 takes steps to put the NHS on a strong and sustainable footing - both now and in the future – with £6.3 billion of additional funding in England. The government will invest £3.5 billion in capital by 2022-23, to ensure patients receive high quality, integrated care and improve efficiency and productivity. The government will also provide an additional £2.8 billion of resource funding to improve NHS performance and ensure that more patients receive the care they need more quickly.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Craig Tracey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the cyber-security of both public and private sector organisations.

Damian Green: This Government launched the National Cyber Security Strategy in 2016 which included the creation of the National Cyber Security Centre. The NCSC provides world leading advice to public and private sector organisation with the intention of making the UK the safest place in the world to live and do business online.

Elections

Mims Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to improve levels of confidence in the electoral process.

Chris Skidmore: The Government treat the integrity of our democratic processes extremely seriously. The Government continue work to deliver voter identification pilots in May 2018 local elections, look for opportunities to end postal vote harvesting and to tackle the threat of disinformation and propaganda.

Public Sector: Pay

Sandy Martin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on bringing forward proposals to end the one per cent cap on pay rises for public sector workers.

Caroline Nokes: As the Chief Secretary to the Treasury said on 12 September, we are moving away from a 1% public sector average award. Pay awards will be informed by a range of factors, including recruitment and retention. The Pay Review Bodies will come forward with their proposals next year.

Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with representatives of the devolved governments on maintaining the union after the UK leaves the EU.

Bill Grant: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with representatives of the devolved governments on maintaining the union after the UK leaves the EU.

Damian Green: I meet regularly with the devolved administration Ministers, including the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and the First Minister of Wales on the UK’s exit from the EU. This is through regular bilaterals and through the Joint Ministerial Committee for EU Negotiations, which I will chair again in December.

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans he has to review the value of redundancy payments to civil servants.

Caroline Nokes: The Government is consulting on reforms to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme to deliver a scheme that is fair to Civil Servants and taxpayers. We are currently holding discussions with Trade Unions with the aim of reaching an agreement on reforms. We will respond to the consultation in due course.

Voting Rights: Young People

James Frith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the voting age to sixteen.

Chris Skidmore: The Government has no plans to lower the voting age, but welcomes the ongoing discussions about this issue. This House has repeatedly debated and then voted against lowering the voting age. Only a handful of countries worldwide allow 16 year olds to vote.

Blood: Contamination

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent progress has been made on the inquiry into the contaminated blood scandal.

Damian Green: Following a consultation, I announced on 3 November that this will be a statutory Inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act, sponsored by the Cabinet Office.The Cabinet Office is now analysing over 800 consultation responses, and I will make a further statement before Christmas on the setting up of the Inquiry.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what the cost to the public purse has been of the analyses undertaken to assess the potential effect on different sectors of the UK economy in the event that no deal is reached in negotiations for the UK to leave the EU.

Mr Robin Walker: We are confident of securing a deal which is in the interests of both the UK as a whole and our European partners. However, a responsible Government should prepare for all potential outcomes, and that is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government. As part of our work preparing to make a success of our departure from the European Union, we are carrying out a wide range of analysis. Officials in DExEU and other Departments across Whitehall continue to work to provide the most up to date evidence to inform our negotiations with the EU. This work is undertaken as business as usual and so is paid for out of the Department’s budget. The Department does not hold information centrally concerning other Department’s expenditure.

Video Games

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which stakeholders the Government has consulted with as part of the Government's impact assessment relating to the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the UK video games industry; and what evidence the Government has gathered as part of that assessment.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government have committed to providing business and the wider public with as much information as possible without undermining the national interest. We are achieving this through regular engagement with businesses and stakeholders at both a ministerial and official level across Whitehall. We have looked closely at the UK video games industry as part of our wider analysis. However, as I said in my opening remarks to the House on 1st November, the Government has not produced a series of sectoral impact assessments. The Government remains committed to securing the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all sectors of the UK economy. We have been engaging with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.

Exports: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on exports from farms in North West Durham constituency.

Mr Robin Walker: As part of our work preparing to make a success of our departure from the European Union, we are carrying out a broad range of sectoral analysis, in including agriculture, as you would expect a responsible Government to do. Leaving the EU presents a major opportunity for UK agriculture. The Agriculture Bill will provide stability to farmers as we leave the EU. It will support our farmers to compete domestically and on the global market, allowing us to grow, sell and export more great British food. The bill includes measures to ensure that after we leave the EU, and therefore the Common Agricultural Policy, we have an effective system in place to support UK farmers and protect our natural environment. The Government is committed to getting the best possible deal for the United Kingdom - a deal that works for all parts of the UK, including the North East. We will continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, and all regions of the UK, in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.

Brexit: Scotland

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many meetings his Department has had with Ministers and officials in the Scottish Government since the triggering of Article 50.

Mr Robin Walker: The Government has been engaging with the Scottish Government throughout the negotiation process. This has included bilateral and multilateral engagement at both ministerial and official level. The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations met most recently in October, when it discussed priorities for the future relationship with the EU and agreed the principles that will underpin common UK frameworks. A list of ministerial meetings is published with each quarterly transparency return. We are committed to positive and productive engagement with the Scottish Government as we seek a deal that works for the entire United Kingdom.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Arbitration

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November 2017 to Question 110584, on Trade Agreements: Arbitration, what estimate he has made of the cost of the development of the policy, legislative and operational plans for a new trade remedies framework.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade is still in the process of establishing a trade remedies framework. It will be subject to Parliamentary approval and the final financial implications of this process will depend on the outcome of negotiations with the European Union and on policy decisions yet to be taken. The Department will continue to invest the necessary resources to develop the policy, legislative and operational plans for a new trade remedies framework alongside its wider preparations for EU Exit.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Devolution

Stephen Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the dates were of the most recent meetings between Ministers from her Department and their counterparts in the devolved administrations; and what the dates are of the next planned meetings.

Matt Hancock: The table below lists the most recent meetings between Ministers from DCMS and their counterparts in the devolved administrations and the next planned meetings:   MinisterDevolved AdministrationDate of most recent meetingNext planned meetingSecretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media & SportWelsh Government26 September 2016N/AMinister for DigitalScottish Government6th November28th November 2017Minister for Sport & Civil SocietyWelsh Government20th November 2016N/AMinister for Arts, Heritage and TourismWelsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Governments26th OctoberN/A

Broadband

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate her Department has made of average broadband speeds in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

Matt Hancock: The Department does not hold information on current average broadband speed in either rural or urban areas. The 2016 Ofcom Connected Nations report showed that across the UK the average download speed is 37Mit/s.

Broadband

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what statistics her Department holds on average broadband speeds on a constituency basis.

Matt Hancock: The Department does not hold information on current average broadband speed by constituency. This information can be located on Thinkbroadband (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/england)

European Network and Information Security Agency

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government plans to seek third country participation with the European Union Agency for Network and Information Security under Article 30 of the Regulations (EU) No. 526/2013 after the UK leaves the EU.

Matt Hancock: Our aim is to secure a relationship that provides for practical operational cooperation; facilitates data driven law enforcement; and allows multilateral cooperation through EU agencies.

Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the UK plans to seek observer status at the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications after the UK has left the EU.

Matt Hancock: The EU Regulation (1211/2009) establishing the Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) is currently subject to review as part of the recast of the EU Regulatory Framework for Communications. We are seeking a deep and special future partnership with the European Union. The UK’s relationship with the European Union’s agencies and bodies upon exit will be evaluated on this basis. The Government is carefully considering a range of options and no decisions have yet been made on the UK’s future relationship with the EU’s agencies and bodies, including BEREC.

Gaming Machines: North West Durham

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effect of fixed-odds betting terminals on gambling addiction rates in North West Durham.

Tracey Crouch: Neither the Department, nor the Gambling Commission, hold information on gambling addiction rates in individual constituencies.

Department of Health

European Food Safety Authority

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Article 49 of EU Regulation No 178/2002, whether the UK plans to seek participation with the European Food Standards Agency after the UK has left the EU.

Steve Brine: Departments are currently working together to understand the impacts that withdrawal from the European Union will have across a number of sectors and cross-cutting areas, including the European Food Safety Authority. The European Food Safety Authority provides independent scientific advice and risk assessments covering a wide range of policy areas. Options for the future of risk assessment and scientific advice in the United Kingdom after the UK has left the EU are being considered by the Government. It will be our priority to maintain the UK’s high standards of food and feed safety, and to ensure we take a risk-based, proportionate approach when providing risk assessments.

Pharmacy: Disadvantaged

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 March 2017 to Question 67522, on pharmacy: disadvantaged, if he will provide the most up to date version of the data requested in that Question.

Steve Brine: The Department does not hold this information. Following the review process, NHS England published a summary of the outcome of the review process which sets out anonymised data against each application. This can be found at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/summary-outcome-report-for-the-pharmacy-access-scheme-national-review-panel/

Asthma: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate support for the families of people with asthma.

Steve Brine: NHS England advocates collaborative care planning approaches for all people with long term conditions, including those with asthma. Collaborative care planning involves a holistic assessment of the individual inclusive of their preferences and goals, and mindful of the role of those important to them, such as family and carers. NHS England’s Long Term Conditions Unit has worked with the Healthy London Partnership to support the development of an asthma commissioning toolkit. The toolkit sets out what children and young people should expect from asthma care, and includes practical resources that parents and families can use to help their child to manage their asthma. This also includes a number of campaigns via social media to support greater adherence to asthma care and treatment, particularly leading up to winter.

Doctors: Death Certificates

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has received on payments being (a) requested and (b) made for the submission to a doctor, GP or consultant of a death certificate for signature; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has not received any representations on payments being requested and made for the submission to a doctor, general practitioner or consultant of a death certificate for signature.

Bradwell Hospital

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will ask (a) the local clinical commissioning groups and (b) University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust to publish the reasons for (i) closing wards in March 2017 and (ii) re-opening wards from November 2017 at Bradwell community hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme; and what the cost to the NHS was of such decisions.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Commissioning decisions are matters for the local National Health Service and are taken after working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. The financial data requested is not held centrally.

Smoking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to coordinate with the devolved authorities the learning and development of best practice in helping people stop smoking.

Steve Brine: Departmental officials meet regularly with their counterparts in the devolved administrations to share learning and best practice in order to help people to stop smoking. These meetings are designed to share key research and policy developments to ensure that we are all able to learn from the experience of others. Health is a devolved competence which means that, ultimately, decisions on key aspects of tobacco control policy and implementation are matters for devolved administrations to determine.

Blood: Contamination

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with the HSC Business Services Organisation on ensuring effective provision of financial support for people in Northern Ireland affected by contaminated blood; and whether he plans to establish a point of appeal for people in all parts of the UK.

Jackie Doyle-Price: A review of the payment schemes put in place to support people historically infected with hepatitis C and/or HIV from National Health Service blood or blood products and their families has been carried out. It was agreed that a single payments scheme should be set up in each of the devolved administrations for those infected in that country and all beneficiaries of the former schemes have been informed of which of the new schemes apply to them. These schemes operate independently of each other with their own funding and appeal processes.

Dental Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he plans to take to ensure that access to dental services for the prevention of decay is not subject to significant regional or national variation across the UK.

Steve Brine: NHS England has a legal duty to commission primary care dental services to meet local needs. Access to primary care dental services continues to increase nationally. 22.2 million adults were seen by a dentist in the 24 month period ending 30 June 2017 and 6.8 million children were seen by a dentist in the 12 month period ending 30 June 2017, but we know NHS England has further to go in ensuring access needs are met in all areas. New ways of providing National Health Service dental services are being tested which aim to further improve oral health and increase access to NHS dental services, by preventing as well as treating disease. Alongside this is NHS England’s recently launched Starting Well programme, which will run in 13 high needs areas to improve access to dental services for children known to be at greater risk of dental disease and who are not currently being seen by a dentist.

NHS: Drugs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether the conditions it attaches to National Institute for Health Research and National Health Service research grants safeguard affordable access for NHS patients to drugs and treatments that result from that research.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides support for the development of new drugs and treatments, primarily through its investment in early translational research infrastructure in the National Health Service and through a range of research funding programmes. NIHR-supported research generates high quality evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of medicines for the NHS and public health services, including informing the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance. There is no explicit link between the terms of NIHR research grants and the price the NHS pays for medicines. NICE assesses important new medicines through a robust evaluation process, which ensures they are priced in a manner that is cost-effective for the value they provide to patients and to the NHS. The costs and source of financial support in developing medicines is not a relevant part of this assessment, and there are no plans to include this.

General Practitioners: Fees and Charges

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the fee chargeable by NHS general practices for providing medical information to patients for the purposes of other public authorities was last reviewed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: NHS England contracts with general practitioners (GPs) as independent providers of medical services for the National Health Service. Under the terms of their contract, GPs are required to provide certain medical reports or complete certain forms for which a medical report is required by other legislation, for example, the Social Security Administration Act, free of charge to their registered patients. Outside their contractual requirements, GPs also offer a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the GP. In such cases, decisions on whether to charge a fee and the level of the fee charged are at the GP’s discretion. Where legislation requires a medical certificate, or report, the relevant Government Department enters into arrangements with the British Medical Association on the level of fees which will be paid to GPs for providing the required information. Such arrangements are formalised through the provisions of the GP contract. As these are private arrangements between GP practices and other organisations, the Department does not review the level of fees.

Volunteers: Health Services

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what guidance has been given to NHS general practices on the circumstances under which volunteers are permitted to carry out non-confidential medical work; and whether this guidance is the same as that for permitted activities of volunteers in other parts of the NHS.

Jackie Doyle-Price: NHS England is responsible for ensuring those general practices who provide NHS services are issued with appropriate guidance on the management of volunteers. In September 2017, NHS England published guidance for all National Health Service providers to help them grow and develop volunteering. This equally applies to general practice as to other parts of the NHS. The guidance sets out that providers should include confidentiality and data protection information in a volunteering policy. The volunteer role description set out in the guidance states that all volunteers should ensure that patient confidentiality is maintained at all times. The guidance is available on the NHS England website:https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/recruiting-and-managing-volunteers-in-nhs-providers-a-practical-guide/

Palliative Care

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has spent on palliative care in each of the last seven years.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of palliative care available in England; and what change in that level he estimates will occur by 2020.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to increase the provision of specialist palliative care in (a) Southampton, (b) the South East and (c) England.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many terminally ill people were offered end-of-life care in their own homes in each of the last three years.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average time is for which a terminally ill person receives palliative care.

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average cost is of treating a terminally ill person.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department has made no specific assessment of local palliative services care in England. As system leader, NHS England is responsible for securing the provision of high quality care for patients at the end of life, and as with the vast majority of NHS services, the commissioning of palliative and end of life care is a local matter, over which individual clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have responsibility. CCGs are best placed to understand the needs of local populations and commission services to meet those needs accordingly, and as such, decisions to increase palliative care service provision are for the local, not the national, National Health Service. NHS England works to support local commissioners in improving the services they provide, including palliative care, and has recently collaborated with Public Health England and the Care Quality Commission to provide bespoke end of life care support to Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships, include Hampshire and Isle of Wight. A copy of the support pack is attached. Much of the palliative care patients receive will be provided either in outpatient or community settings, by nurses, community teams or general practitioners as part of general NHS services provision, rather than as an identified palliative care service. In such services, data are either not available or does not identify palliative treatment. In addition, social and voluntary sector organisations can provide additional support to patients and the end of life. Therefore, figures for the average cost and average time for treating a terminally ill person and figures for the number of patients offered end of life care in the home are not available. On 5 July 2016 we published ‘Our Commitment to you’ for end of life care, which set out what everyone should expect from their care at the end of life and the actions we are taking to make high quality, personalised care a reality for everyone. This includes measures to enable personalisation, measures to improve care quality and education and training in end of life care and measures to encourage the spread of innovative models of care. The commitment sets out that by 2020 we want to significantly improve patient choice, including ensuring an increase in the number of people able to die in the place of their choice, including at home. A progress report on delivery of the commitment was published on 21 September 2017. A key tool in measuring choice and quality in end of life care is the National Survey of Bereaved People (VOICES) survey, which collects the views of bereaved family and friends about the care received by the person they were caring for at the end of life. The survey does provide some information about preferences for care at the end of life, including place of death. The Government Choice Commitment; progress report on the Choice Commitment; and latest VOICES survey report can be found at the following links:www.gov.uk/government/publications/choice-in-end-of-life-care-government-responsewww.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/645631/Government_response_choice_in_end_of_life_care.pdfwww.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthcaresystem/bulletins/nationalsurveyofbereavedpeoplevoices/england2015/pdf



PQ112969 attached documnent
(PDF Document, 142.92 KB)

Pharmacy: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes in funding of community pharmacies on access to healthcare for people in rural areas who use such pharmacies as their first point of contact for healthcare and treatment.

Steve Brine: We are monitoring the market carefully and apart from the recent announcement by Lloyds Pharmacy, the number of closures since the introduction of the reforms has not been significant. 1,413 pharmacies currently receive payments under the Pharmacy Access Scheme to help protect access in areas where there are fewer pharmacies, and those with the greatest health need continue to have the greatest access to pharmaceutical services.

European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Article 13 of EU Council Regulation No 302/93, whether the UK plans to seek formal cooperation with the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction after the UK has left the EU.

Steve Brine: As part of the negotiations, we are examining the European Union security measures we are currently part of, including alternative health security arrangements. We are seeking a strategic partnership to continue a close working relationship with our European partners. However, whilst negotiations are ongoing, we are not in a position to speculate on the United Kingdom’s future participation in individual organisations, which includes the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction. The UK is a world leader in tackling serious cross-border threats to health and has a well-developed health protection system, which includes the collection of data on drugs and drug usage, that is highly regarded by European partners. It is in everyone’s interests to continue to collaborate closely and to continue sharing of data and intelligence.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many human eggs were frozen in each of the last five years by centres registered by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority by (a) the slow-cooling method and (b) the process of vitrification.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it does not hold information on the method of freezing.

Palliative Care

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department provides to carers for people who are undergoing end-of-life care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Skills for Care, our delivery partner, have developed a number of resources to support care workers working with adults at the end of their life. These resources form a framework to guide managers and workers, helping to define the additional knowledge and competences needed when supporting someone who is dying. Social care organisations employing paid carers are required by law to ensure their teams are suitably qualified, competent, skilled and experienced and that they receive appropriate support, training and professional development to enable them to carry out the duties they are employed to perform. The Care Act 2014 introduced important new rights for informal carers, including carers of people who are receiving end of life care, for the first time putting them on the same footing as the people for whom they care. They now have legal rights to an assessment of, and support for, their needs where eligible. Local authorities also have a wider duty to offer information and advice to all carers. In addition, Quality Statement 7 in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Quality Standard on end of life care sets out that families and carers of people approaching the end of life are offered comprehensive holistic assessments in response to their changing needs and preferences, and holistic support appropriate to their current needs and preferences.

Terminal Illnesses: Medical Treatments

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of people identified as having a terminal illness have had referrals for treatment delayed in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The information requested is not held centrally.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average age is of women who have submitted their oocytes for freezing in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that the average age of women who have submitted their oocytes for freezing in each of the last five years is in the following table: Year of cycleAverage (Mean) Patient Age201133.9201233.9201334.4201434.2201534.8201634.5 The data analysed looked at all cycles where the patient stored eggs for their own use. Note: 2016 only covers the period up until 30 June which is the last date for which we have verified data

In Vitro Fertilisation

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women have submitted their oocytes for freezing (a) as a result of medical treatment affecting their fertility and (b) for other reasons, in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that data is not collected in the format requested. The HFEA collects data for the total number of women who submitted their oocytes for freezing in each of the past five years, but does not collect the reasons why the oocytes are frozen.

Mental Hospitals: Deaths

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that unnatural deaths in mental health settings are investigated by an independent body; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Government expects trusts to scrutinise the deaths of all patients who die under their management and care. The Learning from Deaths policy sets out the minimum requirements in relation to deaths due to problems in care. We would also expect trusts to continue to apply their existing processes for reviewing unnatural/unexpected deaths. From Quarter 3 of 2017-18, trusts will publish data each quarter on the number of deaths more likely than not to be due to problems in care (including deaths of individuals with mental illness or a learning disability). Certain deaths should be reported by trusts to other agents for investigation, notably the coroner, and this includes deaths thought to be unnatural or violent and every death of patients subject to detention under the Mental Health Act 1983. On 1 April 2017, the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) became operational with the overarching aim of investigating certain serious patient safety incidents that occur during the provision of NHS services (including mental health services) with a focus on learning. Directions provide for the HSIB to set its own investigation principles for determining which incidents to investigate. The Health Service Safety Investigations Bill was published in draft on 14 September 2017 for pre-legislative scrutiny. The Bill will establish a new, independent Health Service Safety Investigation Body that will operate at arms’ length of Government and take forward the work of the existing HSIB.

General Practitioners: New Towns

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase the number of GPs in areas such as new towns where the population is rapidly expanding.

Steve Brine: It is for the local clinical commissioning groups and NHS England to commission local services including general practitioner (GP) services. Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group has been working together with general practices, GP localities, Shropshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Health Education England and local stakeholders with patient groups and voluntary organisations to identify new ways of working, which will provide a sustainable primary care workforce. Using the principles within the General Practice Forward View (GPFV) local initiatives have already commenced. The GPFV published in April 2016 set out this Government’s commitment to 5,000 additional doctors in general practice by 2020. These GPs will be distributed across England in line with local need.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what additional support his Department plans to provide to Oxford University Hospital's NHS Foundation Trust during winter 2017.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Improvement and NHS England are working closely with Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to ensure it is best placed to deal with challenges this winter. This includes working together with local commissioners to ensure services are responsive to patient need and providing support should specific services experience particular pressure. To this end, NHS England and NHS Improvement attend regular joint meetings with local system partners. In addition, the Emergency Care Improvement Programme team is working to support the local health economy. This includes actions to improve patient flow and urgent care services.

Notified Bodies

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the capability of the UK's 12 Notified Bodies to continue operating after the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: The United Kingdom currently has five European Union Notified Bodies that the Secretary of State for Health has designated to assess medical devices for the European market. The five UK Notified Bodies currently assess a disproportionate number of medical devices approved for use in the European Union. The Government's top priority for life sciences during the negotiations is to protect the safety of patients and ensure the integrity of cross-European public health systems. The Government will seek a mutually beneficial future partnership between the UK and EU that is in the interests of both sides, which builds on the convergence between our regulatory systems and gives business the maximum freedom to trade with and operate within European markets. The future arrangements of Notified Bodies are a matter for future negotiations and it would not be appropriate to prejudge the outcome of those negotiations.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications were received for the new position of Joint Accountable Officer for the six clinical commissioning groups in Staffordshire, how many initial interviews were held with applicants; and how many applicants were shortlisted for second interviews.

Steve Brine: NHS England North Midlands confirmed that they received a total of six applications, of which three were shortlisted for interview. Two candidates attended an interview and one applicant withdrew.

Hospital Wards: Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons his Department (a) re-opened wards at Bradwell community hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme, (b) recommissioned facilities at Brighton House in Newcastle-under-Lyme and (c) reopened Ward 4 at the Harplands hospital in Stoke-on-Trent; and if he will publish the projected financial costs of each such decision.

Mr Philip Dunne: Commissioning decisions are matters for the local National Health Service and are taken after working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. The financial data requested is not held centrally.

Bradwell Hospital

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse has been of (a) redundancies and (b) the decommissioning of facilities following the closure in March 2017 of wards at Bradwell community hospital in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not held centrally. Commissioning decisions are taken by the local National Health Service and include working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. Data on redundancies that is centrally held cannot be sufficiently disaggregated to this level.

Pancreatic Cancer: Research

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many applications to National Institute or Health Research for pancreatic cancer have been (a) made and (b) accepted in each of the last five years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The table below shows the number of funding applications received by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) for research project/programme funding and personal training awards for pancreatic cancer research, and how many were successful, in each of the last five years Financial YearNumber of Pancreatic Cancer ApplicationsNumber Funded2012/13002013/14222014/15212015/16602016/1752Totals155  This success rate compares very favourably with the overall success rate of all research funding applications received by the NIHR.

Mental Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's guidelines are for follow-up post-discharge support for patients who are diagnosed at accident and emergency departments with a mental health condition and with problems associated with substance or alcohol misuse.

Jackie Doyle-Price: We expect that anyone presenting at an emergency department where they are suspected of having mental health needs should receive an assessment to ensure the mental and physical needs are met and, where appropriate, an emergency care plan is put in place. People who require specialist mental health support should be referred to appropriate services. If an assessment identifies the need for further contact with services, including for mental health or alcohol or substance misuse, providers should ensure that follow-up arrangements are in place. We are investing £250 million to ensure that every acute hospital has a mental health liaison team in place by 2020/21 and that 50% of services meet the core 24 standard of care. This will ensure that trained mental health professionals are available within emergency departments to ensure that people who present with mental health problems receive appropriate care. We are investing £400 million to improve mental health crisis services in the community. We also remain committed to implementing the national Mental Health Crisis Care Concordat to ensure that all public services which come into contact with people with mental health problems work together and that no-one experiencing a mental health crisis is turned away.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of patients diagnosed at accident and emergency departments with a mental health condition and with problems associated with substance or alcohol misuse are (a) treated and (b) turned away from those departments by NHS trust for each year from 2011 to 2016.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Nurses and Midwives: Registration

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111080, when his Department plans to begin to collect data on (a) mental health, (b) substance misuse and (c) learning disability nurses recruitment and retention to inform future workforce planning.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information held by NHS Digital is based upon the National Workforce Data Set which allows for the capture of nationally consistent information about the mental health and learning disability nurses for the purposes of monitoring and workforce planning. This does not capture a sufficient level of detail to allow the investigation of very specialist services including substance misuse nurses. At present NHS Digital is engaged in a sub-group of the Workforce Information Review Group. This is tasked with scoping the information requirements of the system related to healthcare recruitment, and to produce proposals to enhance the information available. Part of this work includes giving consideration to current data gaps.

Carers: Young People

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department still plans to publish a Carers' Strategy; and whether young carers will be included in that strategy.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The First Secretary of State and Minister for the Cabinet Office, Damian Green, has announced this month that the Government will publish a Green Paper on care and support by summer 2018, setting out its proposals for reform. Carers are vital partners in the health and social care system, and they need to be at the heart of discussions to build consensus on a long-term, sustainable settlement for social care. Instead of a new carers strategy, the Green Paper will include a clear strategic focus on unpaid care and how our society supports all carers as a vital part of a sustainable health and social care system. Over the coming months Government will work with experts, stakeholders and users to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper, and this work will include specific engagement with carers and representative groups. In addition, once the Green Paper is published, it will be subject to a full public consultation. Alongside this, Government remains fully committed to supporting carers to provide care as they would wish, and to do so in a way that supports their own health and wellbeing, employment and life chances. Ahead of the Green Paper’s publication, the Department will continue to lead a cross-Government programme of targeted work to support carers, including young carers.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Stoke On Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the budget for Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group has been in each year since its creation.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS England advises that the budget for Stoke-on-Trent Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in each year since its creation has been as follows: Stoke on Trent CCG budget 2013/14 – 2017/18 2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18Budget (£ million)349.9358.9377.4387.2432.2% increase year on yearN/A2.6%5.2%2.6%11.6%Source: NHS England Note:These figures include in-year adjustments.

Nurses: Training

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage more people to train to become specialist (a) mental health and (b) learning disability nurses.

Mr Philip Dunne: Health Education England is proactively encouraging more people to train to become mental health and learning disability nurses through a number of initiatives including: - In order to meet the growing need for more registered nurses in the future across all nurse disciplines, on 3 October 2017, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced an increase in the number of additional clinical placements for undergraduate degrees. This would result in an increase of over 5,000 nurse training places available each year from 2018/19; an increase of 25% from 20,680 available in 2016/17 to 25,850 in 2018/19; - Supporting the system wide fast-track graduate route; an accelerated postgraduate nurse programme for Mental Health and Learning Disabilities that began in September 2017 to attract high-achieving graduates into a career in nursing. The aim is to help address workforce capacity and support the development of future nurse leaders in key areas, targeting mental health and learning disabilities in the first instance; - Ensuring nurses in other sectors have the opportunities within their competency frameworks to develop their skills further to work in mental health and learning disability nursing; - Commissioning of focus groups and polls of potential and existing trainees to understand better the obstacles, increase support offered and increase the profile and attractiveness of careers in mental health; and - Training of the clinical workforce, including mental health and learning disability nurses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for each of the devolved administrations in those countries.

NHS Trusts: Subsidiary Companies

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many subsidiary companies have been set up by NHS trusts; and what the purpose is of those companies.

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the guidance issued by his Department to NHS trusts on the VAT payable for subsidiary companies set up by those trusts.

Mr Philip Dunne: Information on the number of subsidiary companies set up by National Health Service trusts is not collected centrally. No specific VAT guidance has been issued by the Department in relation to the setting up of wholly owned subsidiary companies by NHS trusts. These companies are subject to normal VAT rules and as such no specific guidance is required. The tax affairs of subsidiary companies set up by NHS trusts will ultimately be an issue for the companies themselves to resolve with HM Revenue and Customs. The Department’s Finance Director, Chris Young, wrote to NHS trust and foundation trust Finance Directors on 28 September 2017 to clarify the Department’s view on the use of tax advisors, with particular reference to tax avoidance. It should be noted that this letter was not issued with direct reference to any specific tax arrangements being entered into by the NHS.

Health Services: Greater Manchester

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 110509, on health services: Greater Manchester, if he will place a copy of the minutes of the meeting between the affected parties on 13 July 2017 in the Library.

Steve Brine: The meeting held on 13 July 2017 was an informal gathering between affected parties. It was not formally minuted.

Hormones: Pregnancy Tests

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he has had with external experts on hormone pregnancy tests in each of the last 12 months.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the Expert Panel Working Group Inquiry into hormone pregnancy tests to release its report.

Steve Brine: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not met with external experts on Hormone Pregnancy tests in the last 12 months. The Government committed to an independent review of the available evidence relating to Hormone Pregnancy Tests and the possible risk of birth defects in October 2014. The review was carried out by an Expert Working Group of the Commission on Human Medicines, the Government’s independent advisory body on medicines. Careful consideration was given to the membership of the Expert Working Group to make sure the panel was well qualified and of sufficient breadth of exercise to conduct a rigorous scientific review. The Expert Working Group was comprised of a Chair and 15 members who are experts in a wide range of relevant scientific disciplines. The membership of the Expert Working Group included expertise in: pharmacoepidemiology; toxicology; pharmacology; family planning; embryology; neonatal development; reproductive endocrinology; clinical genetics, gynaecology; obstetrics; perinatal epidemiology; paediatric epidemiology; and medical statistics. The Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests (HPTs) invited seven external experts to present evidence for consideration during its review of the available evidence on a possible association between exposure to HPTs and adverse outcomes of pregnancy. The report of the Expert Working Group was published on 15 November 2017. Based on this extensive and rigorous review, their overall conclusion was that, based on the totality of the data, the scientific evidence does not support a causal association between the use of HPTs such as Primodos and birth defects or miscarriage.

Social Services: Consultation Papers

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the timetable is for the publication of the Government's Green Paper on social care.

Jackie Doyle-Price: An ageing society means that we need to reach a longer-term sustainable settlement for social care. This is why the Government is committing to publishing a Green Paper by summer 2018 setting out its proposals for reform. In developing the Green Paper, it is right that we take the time needed to debate the many complex issues and listen to the perspectives of experts and care users, building consensus around reforms which can succeed. This is why we are starting a process of initial engagement over the coming months through which the Government will work with experts, stakeholders and users to shape the long-term reforms that will be proposed in the Green Paper.

Clinical Commissioning Groups: Staffordshire

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111046, what discussions NHS England has had with the six clinical commissioning groups in Staffordshire on merging those groups into one county-wide body; and who led any such discussions.

Steve Brine: NHS England advises that there are no plans to merge the clinical commissioning groups and that no discussions have taken place regarding this matter.

Staffordshire and Stoke On Trent Partnership NHS Trust

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 10 November 2017 to Questions 111038 and 111043, if he will instruct (a) his Department, (b) NHS England, (c) NHS Improvement or (d) the local clinical commissioning groups to publish the Capped Expenditure Programme report for Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.

Mr Philip Dunne: Specific reports on the detail of capped expenditure processes were not produced. This process was one of a series of measures that were used to help local National Health Service organisations to develop balanced financial plans for the year. Therefore the results of these measures are embedded in local plans. The financial challenge for the region is clearly set out in their Sustainability and Transformation Plan “Transforming health and care for Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent - STP – October 21st Submission”:http://www.twbstaffsandstoke.org.uk/index.php/document-library/5-161215-transforming-health-and-care-for-staffordshire-stoke-on-trent-stp/fileProgress to manage that financial challenge will be reported individually by trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) in plans and board papers, for example: In operational plans, CCGs will explain their measures to recover any financial planning gaps, in some cases produce financial recover plans. Operational plans for CCGs in the region can be found via the following links: - Stafford and Surrounds, Cannock Chase and South East Staffordshire and Seisdon Peninsula CCGs:http://www.staffordsurroundsccg.nhs.uk/news-events/publications/our-strategies-and-plan/467-staffordshire-ccgs-operation-plan-2017-19/file - Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire CCGs:https://www.stokeccg.nhs.uk/governance/annual-reports/2017-4/889-north-staffordshire-stoke-on-trent-ccgs-annual-review-summary-2016-17/file- East Staffordshire CCG:http://eaststaffsccg.nhs.uk/publications/annual-reports/541-looking-back-and-looking-forward-2017/fileIn monthly board reports, trusts will explain their current position against agreed plans, measures to eliminate risk and deliver against financial controls. Latest board papers for trusts in the region can be found via the following links: - Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Partnership NHS Trust:https://www.staffordshireandstokeontrent.nhs.uk/About-Us/meetings-and-papers.htm- University Hospital of North Midlands NHS Trust:http://www.uhnm.nhs.uk/aboutus/TrustBoardPapers/Pages/TrustBoardPapers.aspx- Burton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust:http://www.burtonhospitals.nhs.uk/trust-meetings.htm- North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust:https://www.combined.nhs.uk/about-us/our-board/previous-board-meetings/- South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust:http://www.sssft.nhs.uk/about/board-meetings

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111044, on University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, for what reasons (a) his Department and (b) NHS England do not receive financial reports on NHS trusts in financial special measures.

Mr Philip Dunne: It is for NHS Improvement to oversee and regulate National Health Service providers and, when necessary, to intervene to ensure the delivery of financially sustainable healthcare. This intervention may include placing a provider into special measures for financial reasons, and monitoring the progress of those individual providers. NHS England and the Department do not intervene in specific NHS providers matters such as these. The Department holds NHS Improvement to account for the delivery of their objectives, and fully supports their actions to improve the finances of the sector.

NHS: Reorganisation

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answers of 8 November 2017 to Questions 111039 and 111045, on NHS: reorganisation, what the final funding gap was for social care in (a) Staffordshire and (b) Stoke-on-Trent for 2016-17; and what the projected funding gaps for each such organisation are for (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19, (iii) 2019-20 and (iv) 2020-21 within the updated local sustainability and transformation plan process.

Steve Brine: The Department does not collect this information. We have taken several steps to help secure a strong and sustainable social care system, including the Budget announcement of an extra £2 billion in funding. Taken together, Government funding decisions since 2015 will give councils access to £9.25 billion more dedicated funding for social care over the next three years. Adult social care is a locally delivered system and it is up to local authorities to plan how best to use their available funding to provide services for their residents based on knowledge of local need.

Better Care Fund: Stoke On Trent

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111042, on Better Care Fund: Stoke-on-Trent, whether the Regional Assurance Panel has made a recommendation to his national team on Stoke-on-Trent's Better Care Fund Plan.

Steve Brine: I informed the hon. Member in my answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111042 that the Regional Assurance Panel will make a recommendation on Stoke-on-Trent's Better Care Fund (BCF) plan shortly to the national team. We can now provide an update that the national team has received and considered the recommendation from the Regional Assurance Panel. As stipulated in the Integration and Better Care Fund Planning Requirements 2017-19, advice on approval is first reviewed by the Integration Partnership Board (IPB), which is jointly chaired by the Department of Health and Department for Communities and Local Government, with representation from partners including the Local Government Association, Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and NHS England, before NHS England make the final decision as part of its Senior Responsible Officer Role. The Regional Assurance Panel’s recommendation on Stoke-on-Trent’s BCF plan has been circulated to the IPB for consideration and forwarded to NHS England. We expect that a decision and formal letter will be issued shortly.

Haywood Hospital

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111051, on Haywood Hospital, what discussions the new Accountable Officer for the six clinical commissioning groups in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire has had with (a) NHS England and (b) NHS Improvement on the future of wards at the Haywood Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent.

Steve Brine: NHS England and NHS Improvement have both advised that no discussions have taken place with local clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), or the Accountable Officer for the six CCGs, specifically relating to the future of wards at the Haywood Hospital.

Haywood Hospital

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2017 to Question 111051, on Haywood Hospital, what the remuneration is of the (a) new Chair of the Health and Transformation Board overseeing the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) and (b) the Director overseeing the STP; and what the combined remuneration is of the (i) Assistant Director, (ii) Finance Director and his support staff and (iii) Medical Director of that STP

Steve Brine: Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STPs) are not statutory organisations, and cannot directly employ staff. The vast majority of work within STP areas has therefore been performed by existing staff, sometimes in addition to existing duties. It is therefore difficult to differentiate the salary between the individuals existing work, and their new work on the STP. The total remuneration for the overall roles requested, including both existing work and STP duties, is £480,297.10.

Haywood Hospital

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 6 November 2017 to Question 111041, on Haywood Hospital, when his Department received the Independent reconfiguration Panel's report and recommendations into local authority referrals of community hospital bed closures in North Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent; and what advice he has received on the legal basis of the local clinical commissioning group's decision to close beds in the hospitals before that consultation is complete.

Mr Philip Dunne: I refer the hon. Member to my previous reply on 6 November. An announcement will be made in due course.

Mental Health Services

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much his Department has invested in talking therapies in each of the last three years.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health Dashboard shows the total clinical commissioning group spend on Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT). The dashboard shows the total spend on IAPT in 2016/17 was £422.5 million. Data for 2017/18 has not been published yet and data 2015/16 is not held.

Social Services: Stoke on Trent

Gareth Snell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with (a) Stoke-on-Trent City Council and (b) the Care Quality Commission on the review of the local health and social care system report published by the Core Quality Commission on 10 November 2017.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There have been no specific discussions. However, Departmental officials are liaising with both Stoke-on-Trent Council and the Care Quality Commission. Following the budget announcement of additional funding for adult social care in the March 2017, the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government asked the Care Quality Commission to undertake a programme of targeted system reviews in 20 local authority areas. One of these was Stoke-on-Trent. The purpose of the reviews is to understand better the pressures and challenges within a local system and identify any areas for improvement in the provision of health and care. Following the publication of the Care Quality Commission’s review findings, Stoke-on-Trent is developing an action plan to deliver improvement, with support from the Social Care Institute for Excellence and from the Local Government Association, the Association of Directors of Adult Social Care, NHS England and NHS Improvement. The Care Quality Commission will deliver an interim report on their review findings, including those for Stoke-on-Trent, to the Secretary of State in mid-December 2017, with a concluding report in the summer of 2018.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing the 10-year statutory time limit for the storage of frozen eggs and semen with a system of five-yearly reviews; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The statutory limits for the storage of frozen gametes (eggs and sperm) are set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009. There are no current plans to review the provisions of these regulations.

Pharmacy: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information he holds on how many community pharmacies run by Celesio UK in Garston and Halewood constituency will be closed as part of the company's recent announcement to close 190 of its community pharmacies across the UK.

Steve Brine: Celesio UK announced their intention to close or divest 190 of their 1,740 Lloyds pharmacies on Thursday 26 October 2017. The Department does not hold information regarding which specific pharmacies will be affected by this decision, or on which will be divested and which will close.

European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the UK plans to seek to participate in the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control after the UK leaves the EU.

Steve Brine: As part of the negotiations, we are examining the European Union security measures we are currently part of, including alternative health security arrangements. We are seeking a strategic partnership to continue a close working relationship with our European partners. However, whilst negotiations are ongoing, we are not in a position to speculate on the United Kingdom’s future participation in individual organisations, which includes the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The UK is a world leader in tackling serious cross-border threats to health and has a well-developed health protection system that is highly regarded by European partners. We use and benefit from a range of international information-sharing tools in the area of health security, which are by no means limited to EU mechanisms but include other channels such as the 2005 International Health Regulations. In addition, the UK already has good collaborative relationship with other international partners such as the World Health Organization. It is in everyone’s interests to continue to collaborate closely, and to maintain access to our intelligence, risk assessment, guidance and management advice.

Pharmacy: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many community pharmacies in Garston and Halewood constituency are owned by Celesio UK.

Steve Brine: From the information the Department holds, there are five Lloyds pharmacies owned by Celesio UK in Garston and Halewood.

Drugs: Misuse

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many telephone calls the service Talk to FRANK received in the most recent year for which data is available.

Craig Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money was spent from the public purse on the drug information service FRANK in (a) the most recent year for which information is available and (b) total since FRANK was established.

Steve Brine: During the financial year April 2016 to March 2017 Talk to FRANK received 94,760 calls. It should be noted that the Talk to FRANK service offers a range of contact methods and its customer support team also answered 39,163 emails, texts and webchat messages. The FRANK website also received five million web visits in 2016/17. During the current financial year (April 2017 to March 2018) we are planning to spend £978,000 on the Talk to FRANK service. Since the Talk to FRANK service was established in 2003 (but excluding the period April 2010 to March 2013) £9,117,242 has been spent on the service (including the current year’s £978,000 budget).

Women and Equalities

Diabetes: Discrimination

Diana Johnson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what assessment she has made of the extent of disability discrimination against those with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes; and what steps are being taken to address disability discrimination for people with diabetes.

Nick Gibb: The Government Equalities Office does not monitor the relative incidence of discrimination against people with different disabilities and health conditions. The Equality Act 2010 provides protection from disability discrimination to all those who meet its definition of disability: ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities’. It does not, except in a few specific instances, list conditions that fall within this definition. Instead in most cases, the impact on the person’s life is the qualifying criteria for determining a disability rather than the condition itself.

European Institute for Gender Equality

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to Article 8 of EU Regulation No 1922/2006, whether the UK plans to seek formal cooperation with the European Institute for Gender Equality after the UK has left the EU.

Anne Milton: The Government wishes to have a constructive relationship with the EU following the UK’s exit. This also applies to our relationship with the EU's agencies and bodies. No decisions have yet been made on the our future relationship with the European Institute for Gender Equality after leaving the EU.